Area College Basketball Preview

* OUTLOOK: The sixth-ranked Blue Devils (19-4) are riding high and leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 7-2 mark.

Junior center Christian Laettner leads the attack, averaging 19.6 points and 9.8 rebounds. Sophomore guards Bill McCaffrey and Bobby Hurley have picked up their scoring and junior Brian Davis, a Capitol Heights native, is a defensive wizard. Maryland's best chance for an upset is to hope to catch Duke looking ahead to Sunday's match with Louisiana State and Shaquille O'Neal. But don't count on it.

NIAGARA VS. LOYOLA * WHEN: Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.

* WHERE: Reitz Arena.

* RADIO: WCAO-AM 600.

* OUTLOOK: These teams finished at the bottom of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last year; this year they're two of the most improved teams. After going 6-22 last season, Niagara is 6-15 overall and 4-8 in the league after last night's 68-61 loss to Manhattan. The Purple Eagles' top player is Brian Clifford, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who is averaging more than 14 points and 10 rebounds a game. Tony Newsom, a sophomore guard, has better than four assists per game. Loyola has rebounded from last season's 4-24 record. The Greyhounds (10-11, 3-7) are getting more than 21 points a game from Kevin Green.

* OUTLOOK: Although it had an eight-game winning streak snapped with Monday's 85-84 loss to Loyola, Towson State got back on track with Wednesday's 84-75 win at American. The Tigers (14-7, 8-0 in the East Coast Conference) beat Central Connecticut earlier this season, 82-72, led by Devin Boyd's 28 points. Central Connecticut (4-17, 2-5) lost its leading scorer, Obet Vasquez, in last night's 68-57 win at UMBC. Vazquez was averaging 23 points.